Qatar – Security mobilization for the 2022 World Cup

Work is undergoing in Qatar on the wide range of aspects related to the preparation of the 2022 World Cup, while the projects become more concrete as days go by.

One team will play a major role, not in the actual football games but rather in the organization of the tournament itself: the World Cup Security Committee Team. This structure kicked off its game from the moment Qatar presented its bid to host the event, way before the other teams.

The Security Committee: a full integration of the security of players and spectators in the success of this global event

Brig. General Mohamed Majed Al-Selaty is the Security Committee executive director for the Supreme Committee for delivery and legacy, as well as a member and the secretary of the Committee for the World Cup.

He gave some precisions on the decision to form the Security Committee for the World Cup and the way it works. Gathering different State organs allows the Committee to prepare comprehensive security plans; this preparation goes through different paths.
• Several cooperation agreements with international institutions were settled to enhance the implementation of the projects. Indeed, to deal with the security challenges of such an event, Qatar has signed several cooperation agreements to ensure the highest standards of organization and execution, with the support of experts from all around the world.
• The 2022 World Cup is an important opportunity to showcase the capabilities of the security agencies. Therefore, Qatar is in a continuous search of best practices in several fields, including the sport facilities and events security. In this regard, the cooperation between Qatar and many countries that have held similar events, as well as the exchange of information between experts and security personnel from different countries, enhance the effectiveness of the security procedures during the 2022 World Cup.
• Qatar will make use of the French expertise in the security of major sports events, such as the upcoming EURO 2016. Indeed, the organization committee for this event has developed high-level security strategies in order to deal with any security challenges which may occur on its area of responsibility: 10 stadiums and 24 team hotels, in addition to the spectators’ hotels and tickets selling points.
• Also, Qatar signed in 2012 a cooperation agreement project with Interpol, called STADIA, in order to prepare a support plan for the Qatari law enforcement agency in border security issues. This aims at ensuring the HQ in Doha is linked to the border security units and equipped with all the necessary means, and connected to Interpol Database. The STADIA project will start at the end of the 2017; it will be a legacy, not only for Qatar but for the whole football world.

The security committee includes different organs of the State, one of them being the Lekhwiya as head of several units. As such, the Lekhwiya force is required to carry out different security responsibilities in several fields: facilities, public transports, traffic, technical security, operation room, logistics support, in cooperation with other organs such as the Army, Air Force, MOI and others.

How to implement the FIFA security procedures

According to Mr.Jasim Mohamed Al-Kaby, director of National Security for the security directorate in the Supreme Committee for delivery and legacy, the implementation of all FIFA procedures in the sport facilities hosting the tournament will take place through security plans in line with FIFA standards. All the committee members have gained the relevant expertise by relying on previous events: Brazil 2014 World Cup, EURO 2016, English Premier League, French Ligue 1 and Spanish Liga.
This share of expertise is essential. It is further added to the agreement with the International Center for Sports Security to bring qualified international experts who will take part in the Security Committee, working side by side with the Qatari personnel.
The emergency plans will be executed in 2019 by the Security Committee with the commitment of 100% of Qatari forces.

In addition, work is already undergoing at the legislative committee level in order to prepare the emergency law for major events which will suit the tournament needs. This law may be needed in the future for similar events.

“Expect amazing”: a major role for the Lekhwiya

Qatar has set a goal for the 2022 World Cup: to be special in every aspect the fans are expecting.

1st Lt. Saif Al-Dosari is an officer in the Lekhwiya Force and one of the young men undergoing capacity building to take part in the leadership of the sport facilities security during the 2022 tournament. According to him, Qatar has already had the opportunity to test its capabilities on the occasion of the successful 2015 handball championship in Doha. These capabilities are being further developed thanks to specialized training courses and the participation of Lekhwiya personnel in local, regional and international tournaments.

In addition, the successful organization of such a tournament requires deep security studies and a comprehensive vision to take into account the reasons of success. This aims at insuring the implementation of the international safety and security rules laid down by FIFA in all the football events.